Daily pint boosts bowel cancer risk

Drinkers who enjoy a daily pint of beer may be more likely to need bowel cancer treatment, scientists from Cancer Research UK have found.

The Epic study, funded by Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council and a number of other European agencies, questioned nearly half a million people from ten European countries about their drinking habits.

Researchers found that people who drink around two units of alcohol a day have about a ten per cent increased risk of bowel cancer.

Those who drink around three to four units - less than two pints of strong lager - a day are around 25 per cent more likely to develop the disease.

Cancer Research UK epidemiologist Professor Tim Key commented: "The research shows quite clearly that the more alcohol you drink, the greater your risk of bowel cancer.

"The increase in risk is not large but it is important that people understand they can reduce their risk of a number of difference cancers - including bowel cancer - by cutting down on alcohol."

Around 30,000 new cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed each year in the UK and, according to Cancer Research UK, more than half of all cases of cancer can be prevented through lifestyle changes such as not smoking and eating plenty of fruit and vegetables.